Tourist buses parking on Linlithgow Cross are posing a danger to pedestrians, a councillor has claimed.
The problem is worse at the weekend when coaches disgorge passengers and park up there while visitors tour the famous palace.
Councillor Sally Pattle told a meeting of the town’s local area committee that there were regular concerns about unsafe parking at the junction.
She said: “Over the summer there are these tour buses not just dropping off visitors, they are sitting at the Cross. It’s dangerous and it is illegal because it really hampers visibility. There’s people, there’s children, there’s dogs going about.
“It’s generally on a Saturday morning, and on a Sunday. It’s fine to drop off visitors, but not just sit there. They do it once and they’re not spoken to so they think they can do it again.”
Locals were also contributing to traffic problems by ignoring the parking restrictions on the High Street outside Boots, according to veteran Labour councillor Tom Conn who said many “need to go to Specsavers”.
Councillor Conn told the meeting: “It’s the same vehicles, the same number plates all the time. It’s repeat offenders”.
“Even coming up this morning. I wish I had a dash cam. At Boots where there are zigzags directly outside, a vehicle crossed from the other side of the road and parked on them.
“It’s an issue which keeps coming up. I really do think some in town should get their eyes tested because they are a danger to the public if they park on zigzag lines.”
He added that the problems at the Cross had been made worse because communal bins have now been placed at the Vennel behind the flats at the 1960s building, but the bin lorry can frequently not reach them because the road is blocked .
Councillor Conn said: “There are cars parked on double yellows as a matter of routine. If you come on a Sunday morning there’s a stand off from people trying to get into the car park, and out of it after church, and the people parked on the double yellows blocking the road.”
He added: “ I did remonstrate politely with a member of the public who drew up as I was crossing over. I said to him: ‘There’s a car park there and it’s free on a Sunday. Why are you not using it?’ The glare I got was that it was none of my business.”
A police representative urged councillors to alert local officers to the identities of the tour bus operators, and said he speak to the community team about concerns at the Cross and outside outside Boots
By Stuart Sommerville Local Democracy Reporter
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) is a public service news agency. It is funded by the BBC, provided by the local news sector (in Edinburgh that is Reach plc (the publisher behind Edinburgh Live and The Daily Record) and used by many qualifying partners. Local Democracy Reporters cover news about top-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.
